It consists of a magnesium cation and formate anion.

It can be prepared by reacting magnesium oxide with formic acid.

The dihydrate is formed when crystallizing from the solution.

The dihydrate dehydrates at 105 °C to form anhydrate, then decomposes at 500 °C to produce magnesium oxide.

[1] Magnesium formate can be used for organic syntheses.